Sabbath Regulations

35 Moses assembled the whole Israelite community and said to them, “These are the things the Lord has commanded^(A) you to do: ² For six days, work is to be done, but the seventh day shall be your holy day, a day of sabbath^(B) rest to the Lord. Whoever does any work on it is to be put to death.^{(C) 3} Do not light a fire in any of your dwellings on the Sabbath day.^(D)”

Materials for the Tabernacle^(E)(F)

⁴ Moses said to the whole Israelite community, “This is what the Lord has commanded: ⁵ From what you have, take an offering for the Lord. Everyone who is willing is to bring to the Lord an offering of gold, silver and bronze; ⁶ blue, purple and scarlet yarn and fine linen; goat hair; ⁷ ram skins dyed red and another type of durable leather^[a]; acacia wood; ⁸ olive oil^(G) for the light; spices for the anointing oil and for the fragrant incense; ⁹ and onyx stones and other gems to be mounted on the ephod and breastpiece.

¹⁰ “All who are skilled among you are to come and make everything the Lord has commanded:^{(H) 11} the tabernacle^(I) with its tent and its covering, clasps, frames, crossbars, posts and bases; ¹² the ark^(J) with its poles and the atonement cover and the curtain^(K) that shields it; ¹³ the table^(L) with its poles and all its articles and the bread of the Presence; ¹⁴ the lampstand^(M) that is for light with its accessories, lamps and oil for the light; ¹⁵ the altar^(N) of incense with its poles, the anointing oil^(O) and the fragrant incense;^(P) the curtain for the doorway at the entrance to the tabernacle;^{(Q) 16} the altar^(R) of burnt offering with its bronze grating, its poles and all its utensils; the bronze basin^(S) with its stand; ¹⁷ the curtains of the courtyard with its posts and bases, and the curtain for the entrance to the courtyard;^{(T) 18} the tent pegs^(U) for the tabernacle and for the courtyard, and their ropes; ¹⁹ the woven garments worn for ministering in the sanctuary—both the sacred garments^(V) for Aaron the priest and the garments for his sons when they serve as priests.”

²⁰ Then the whole Israelite community withdrew from Moses’ presence, ²¹ and everyone who was willing and whose heart moved them came and brought an offering to the Lord for the work on the tent of meeting, for all its service, and for the sacred garments. ²² All who were willing, men and women alike, came and brought gold jewelry of all kinds: brooches, earrings, rings and ornaments. They all presented their gold as a wave offering to the Lord. ²³ Everyone who had blue, purple or scarlet yarn^(W) or fine linen, or goat hair, ram skins dyed red or the other durable leather brought them. ²⁴ Those presenting an offering of silver or bronze brought it as an offering to the Lord, and everyone who had acacia wood for any part of the work brought it. ²⁵ Every skilled woman^(X) spun with her hands and brought what she had spun—blue, purple or scarlet yarn or fine linen. ²⁶ And all the women who were willing and had the skill spun the goat hair. ²⁷ The leaders^(Y) brought onyx stones and other gems^(Z) to be mounted on the ephod and breastpiece. ²⁸ They also brought spices and olive oil for the light and for the anointing oil and for the fragrant incense.^{(AA) 29} All the Israelite men and women who were willing^(AB) brought to the Lord freewill offerings^(AC) for all the work the Lord through Moses had commanded them to do.

Bezalel and Oholiab^(AD)

³⁰ Then Moses said to the Israelites, “See, the Lord has chosen Bezalel son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, ³¹ and he has filled him with the Spirit of God, with wisdom, with understanding, with knowledge and with all kinds of skills^(AE)— ³² to make artistic designs for work in gold, silver and bronze, ³³ to cut and set stones, to work in wood and to engage in all kinds of artistic crafts. ³⁴ And he has given both him and Oholiab^(AF) son of Ahisamak, of the tribe of Dan, the ability to teach^(AG) others. ³⁵ He has filled them with skill to do all kinds of work^(AH) as engravers, designers, embroiderers in blue, purple and scarlet yarn and fine linen, and weavers—all of them skilled workers and designers.

Psalm 45^[a]

For the director of music. To the tune of “Lilies.” Of the Sons of Korah. A maskil.^[b] A wedding song.^(A)

Submission to Governing Authorities

13 Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities,^(A) for there is no authority except that which God has established.^(B) The authorities that exist have been established by God. ² Consequently, whoever rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted,^(C) and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves. ³ For rulers hold no terror for those who do right, but for those who do wrong. Do you want to be free from fear of the one in authority? Then do what is right and you will be commended.^{(D) 4} For the one in authority is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for rulers do not bear the sword for no reason. They are God’s servants, agents of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer.^{(E) 5} Therefore, it is necessary to submit to the authorities, not only because of possible punishment but also as a matter of conscience.^(F)

⁶ This is also why you pay taxes,^(G) for the authorities are God’s servants, who give their full time to governing. ⁷ Give to everyone what you owe them: If you owe taxes, pay taxes;^(H) if revenue, then revenue; if respect, then respect; if honor, then honor.

Love Fulfills the Law

⁸ Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for whoever loves others has fulfilled the law.^{(I) 9} The commandments, “You shall not commit adultery,” “You shall not murder,” “You shall not steal,” “You shall not covet,”^[a](J) and whatever other command there may be, are summed up^(K) in this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”^{[b](L) 10} Love does no harm to a neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.^(M)

The Day Is Near

¹¹ And do this, understanding the present time: The hour has already come^(N) for you to wake up from your slumber,^(O) because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. ¹² The night is nearly over; the day is almost here.^(P) So let us put aside the deeds of darkness^(Q) and put on the armor^(R) of light. ¹³ Let us behave decently, as in the daytime, not in carousing and drunkenness,^(S) not in sexual immorality and debauchery, not in dissension and jealousy.^{(T) 14} Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ,^(U) and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the flesh.^[c](V)

The Weak and the Strong

14 Accept the one whose faith is weak,^(W) without quarreling over disputable matters. ² One person’s faith allows them to eat anything, but another, whose faith is weak, eats only vegetables.^{(X) 3} The one who eats everything must not treat with contempt^(Y) the one who does not, and the one who does not eat everything must not judge^(Z) the one who does, for God has accepted them. ⁴ Who are you to judge someone else’s servant?^(AA) To their own master, servants stand or fall. And they will stand, for the Lord is able to make them stand.

⁵ One person considers one day more sacred than another;^(AB) another considers every day alike. Each of them should be fully convinced in their own mind. ⁶ Whoever regards one day as special does so to the Lord. Whoever eats meat does so to the Lord, for they give thanks to God;^(AC) and whoever abstains does so to the Lord and gives thanks to God. ⁷ For none of us lives for ourselves alone,^(AD) and none of us dies for ourselves alone. ⁸ If we live, we live for the Lord; and if we die, we die for the Lord. So, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord.^{(AE) 9} For this very reason, Christ died and returned to life^(AF) so that he might be the Lord of both the dead and the living.^(AG)

¹⁰ You, then, why do you judge your brother or sister^[d]? Or why do you treat them with contempt?^(AH) For we will all stand before God’s judgment seat.^{(AI) 11} It is written:

¹² So then, each of us will give an account of ourselves to God.^(AL)

¹³ Therefore let us stop passing judgment^(AM) on one another. Instead, make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in the way of a brother or sister.^{(AN) 14} I am convinced, being fully persuaded in the Lord Jesus, that nothing is unclean in itself.^(AO) But if anyone regards something as unclean, then for that person it is unclean.^{(AP) 15} If your brother or sister is distressed because of what you eat, you are no longer acting in love.^(AQ) Do not by your eating destroy someone for whom Christ died.^{(AR) 16} Therefore do not let what you know is good be spoken of as evil.^{(AS) 17} For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking,^(AT) but of righteousness, peace^(AU) and joy in the Holy Spirit,^{(AV) 18} because anyone who serves Christ in this way is pleasing to God and receives human approval.^(AW)

¹⁹ Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace^(AX) and to mutual edification.^{(AY) 20} Do not destroy the work of God for the sake of food.^(AZ) All food is clean,^(BA) but it is wrong for a person to eat anything that causes someone else to stumble.^{(BB) 21} It is better not to eat meat or drink wine or to do anything else that will cause your brother or sister to fall.^(BC)

²² So whatever you believe about these things keep between yourself and God. Blessed is the one who does not condemn^(BD) himself by what he approves. ²³ But whoever has doubts^(BE) is condemned if they eat, because their eating is not from faith; and everything that does not come from faith is sin.^[f]